376 IMPROVING POOR SOILS. 



Observations the least acalnst the doctrine here adyanced? or does not 

 and enquiries " ,./.•. i t 



respecting the rather go to prove the truth 01 it: for, is it not clear, that, 



improvement j^ order to succeed, it is necessary by transplantation, to 

 of poor soils, , , ' ., ;.,.,,,,, 



remove the plants from a soil, out of which they have al- 

 ready extracted a certain portion of its nutricious matter, 

 and in which they have already deposited something which 

 might be hurtful, when they came to flower and seed?* 



That the plan of transplanting wheat will answer I have 

 not a doubt; it has long been practised by several gentlemen 

 in Norfolk ; and upon the principles here laid down and 

 agreed upon, we can judge how it may prevent the necessity 

 of fallowing, as it goes to prove what I have before hinted 

 at iri my theory, that, by sowing a summer crop of legumi- 

 nous plants, such as pease, beans, vetches, &c. or the 

 useful roots, turnips and potatoes, ever}'' thing hurtful to 

 the growth of wheat may be taken from the ground. This, 

 Jjowever, will be perhaps as profitably done by substituting 

 a succession of other white corn, instead of wheat, in a 

 Tegular manner. 



From t\ie foregoing, then we are led to conclude, that, 

 by attention to a proper mixture of the earths, in order to 

 bring various particles into intimate union, by frequent 

 new combinations, and by a succession of plants dissimilar 

 in their habits from each other, we may so far improve 

 agriculture, as to have yearly crops from such a soil as 

 Ours; and that it will be possible, in time, to bring every 

 acre of ground in this district into an almost equal degree of 

 ^ralue+. 



* Some warp land on the other side of the liuinber produced 

 wheat for seven years, successively, without manure; but, thi« 

 only proves the possibility, that earth may be accidentally so well 

 arranged and mixed, as to aftbrd nourisliment for along succession 

 of crops. 



f There is a practice, frequent in Hokleiness, which deserves 

 to be reprobated, and th::t is, suffering btubbles to lie unploughed 

 after harvest. It appears to me a sliocking waste of the valuable 

 soil,, to suffer it to be exhausted at tlie hitter spring, in producing 

 useless plants and weeds, The great object of agriculture, is to 

 take advauiage of every circumstance, that can oblige the earth to 

 produce only the profitable parts of the vegetable creation; to 

 suffer the land, therefore, to s-uj^port what -t preiyfnl we know not 

 the UiC of, u in tlic highest degree mjunous an^iiupolitic. 



vn 



